Israel election: preliminary count shows neither bloc wins parliamentary majority

The absence of a clear majority turns the outcome into a coalition-building contest rather than a verdict on either camp, and that ambiguity is the real story for markets watching Israeli political risk. Because Likud remains the largest party, Netanyahu retains a structural advantage in any negotiation, but the preliminary nature of the count means the arithmetic could still shift. The open question is whether either bloc can assemble a durable coalition, and how long that process drags on without a clear governing mandate.